1st September 2026

This season’s mission is to sail Escapade west from Lombok passing Bali, Java and a scattering of islands all the way up the west coast of Sumatra. Then it will be time to haul-out and do some maintenance in Langkawi, Malaysia.

The whole trip is about 2,000 nautical miles, and we are allowing a couple of months.  There are a few surfing spots to explore along the way.

Dawn could see that this leg was likely to be one long surf trip. So could Bryan. So he and I are joined by our friends from Maui, Kevin and Z. They are both experienced yachtsmen. I was lucky enough to sail a couple of adventures in the Hawaiian Islands with them on Kevin’s boat: ‘Knot a Clew’.

Lombok

So we all arrived at the rendezvous in Kuta, Lombok in early September. We stocked up on provisions and spare surfboards, travelled back to Gili Gede and spent a couple of days prepping Escapade for the trip.

The food lockers were full, the boat bristling with surfboards, windsurf gear, foil and wing gear. Possibly a new record number of boards on board. Bryan has given the outboard motor another major service and the dinghy is patched up. Again.

We are also stock-piling diesel.  We have easy access to clean, high quality fuel in Lombok, and have heard it may not be so easy to find further west, where we will need it most.  We hope this late SE monsoon will supply favourable sailing winds for the first thousand miles, all the way along Java, but near the equator we expect to be motoring more as that SE breeze gives way to light and variable wind.  So the usually comfortable cockpit is now home to two enormous fuel bladders, each containing 200L of clean diesel.

The Jet Ski

Kevin and Z are a tow-team. They spend Maui winters using a jet ski to tow each other in to giant waves. Bryan has been joking for years about ditching our dinghy and replacing it with a jet ski, a bit of light-hearted banter. But now the idea is being discussed daily. They ask me if Escapade could tow a ski to Sumatra? No. Could it be stowed on a cradle on deck? No. Could it live on the davits? No.

I have allowed these pipe-dreams to continue, quietly confident that the practicalities of acquiring a ski in Indonesia will eventually put an end to it.

The conversation arises several times a day, the recurring themes are:

The 12 year old dinghy is due for replacement.

A Sea-Doo Spark weighs only 200kg.

“Think how many waves we could tow you in to, JP?”

Kevin hates paddling.

A ski provides more safety than the dinghy.

Sea-Doos are highly fuel efficient.

Sell the ski in Langkawi, get a new dinghy there, Dawn need never know.

It goes on.

We say farewell to our friends at Gili Gede and sail away. First stop was a sunset surf session at Desert Point, Lombok. This is a world class left hand reef break famed for giant barrelling waves. Happily it was a tiny, waist-high longboard wave that evening, just us and a couple of happy locals.

The next island was Lembongan where we found more serious waves, and crowds of holidaying surfers.

Then to Bali, where the waves are even more crowded.  Our arrival was spectacular, we gybed round the tip of Uluwatu and Escapade powered down the slopes of huge swells wrapping in to Uluwatu.  Under the temples, cliffs and famous waves all the way to our anchorage by the airport.

There was wing foiling on the waves around the boat, and some dinghy tow-foiling further in.  The bay was alive with highly decorated Balinese fishing craft.

We stayed one night then sailed away from the bright lights of Bali, aiming for the wild eastern tip of Java.

Java

This whole area is a national park, a wild jungle coast, the last habitat of the Javanese tiger, we’re told. Bryan had spotted a possible anchorage on the satellite image, worth exploring. We found it was too shallow, but the detour brought us to a deserted coastline, pounded by the constant swell.

As we sailed just outside the reef we spotted a large black shadow dead ahead. Bryan and I ran to the bow just in time to look down on the distinctive shape and markings of the world’s largest fish. A breathtaking glimpse of a whale shark as we sailed right over it.

We saw several more nearby, manoeuvring close enough to one of them for Kevin and Z to jump in and swim with a fish the size of a small submarine.

We repeated our spectacular arrival under full sail as we rounded the next headland and turned in to the bay of Gragajan. Escapade surfing down the swell lines that wrap in to the heavy barrelling wave known as G-Land.

We anchored in the huge sandy bay and stayed for a few days.

All the toys were deployed, Kevin and I windsurfed way up to the point where the waves were very impressive, but the wind just too light and offshore. The boys all got some waves and all got scared at G-Land. Lots of surfers in crash helmets. Bryan risking it with his wing foil.

I found a much more user-friendly wave further in to the bay. We went surfing and winging, Bryan tried his new para-wing, we windsurfed another spot which looked perfect until we realised there was no wind on the inside.

Kevin got washed over the reef and we launched a dinghy rescue mission to extract him from the jungle, then get him and his windsurf gear back to Escapade intact.

The swell got bigger and I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally zipped up the board bags and sailed on to our next destination.  Just a few reef cuts and a finbox to repair.  I think we got away lightly.

G-Land is an impressive and dangerous wave.

We spent the next three days at sea. Great sailing with full main and the big red gennaker pulling us along a broad reaching course in style. We settle in to the routine of sailing, cooking and night watches as the miles flash by.

Every day we see whales and dolphins. One morning we caught a fish, Bryan made fish tacos, which led to a spontaneous outbreak of mango margaritas and an afternoon of deep sea Beer Pong. All whilst gliding along at 9 knots about 80 miles off the coast of Java.

The jet ski remains a constant under current in the crew conversations.  The tow surfing idea is an obsession.  I wait for it all to blow over.

Then one morning Bryan shows me an invoice for a new Spark ski he’s found in Jakarta, for immediate delivery anywhere on Java!  This is a worrying new development.  I take comfort in the logistical challenges, now they need an inflatable collar, plus sled and tow-rope.  Kevin has everything in Maui, but that’s a long way from the south coast of Java.

After about 500 miles we arrive at a tiny fishing harbour in west Java.  Just room to anchor Escapade in a keyhole in the reef, with waves barrelling all around.

We stayed here a couple of days, the boys getting scooter rides to nearby waves and waiting for windsurfing conditions.

One morning I hear Kevin on the phone to his friend Jason who’s is about to travel from Maui to Indonesia and could bring whatever we need for the ski!

There is swell coming, but we are unsure of our anchorage.  Will it be safe when the waves double in size?  We are in 3m of water.

The local fishermen assure us we are safe, “Aman, Aman!”

But they keep all their boats up the river.

We found some fresh fruit and vegetables and sailed away again, leaving Java behind.

North from Java

The sailing was so good on these trips. Reliable SE winds at 15-20 kts, a broad-reaching course, comfortable days and nights as we ticked off the miles.

As we approached Panaitan we were overtaking a cargo ship when their radio officer hailed us on channel 16.  I was talking to him when both our fishing lures were hit by big fish as we were sailing at 10 knots. I left the radio and rushed to slow down the boat, Kevin furled the jib as Bryan and Z dealt with both rods.

Eventually I called the ship back to say we were hove-to and let them steam by, no doubt confused by our erratic behaviour.

One yellowfin tuna was gaffed, dispatched, filleted and refrigerated by the time we sailed in to the huge bay of Panaitan.

Panaitan! A huge, uninhabited playground with several deserted reef breaks. Looks like our kind of place. But as we explore the surfing options we realise it’s quite extreme.

More scary waves!  Challenging drops and shallow reefs.

Z bravely found his way into a few.

KP even windsurfed a couple. Then we moved round the corner to a fun sized, easy left hander. Not life threatening and a really playful zone for winging.

Nobody there but us, a few fishermen, a herd of deer on the beach, and some monkeys.

We were about fifty miles south of Anak Krakatoa which was erupting. There were also vast fires on Kalimantan and southern Sumatra. The air was coloured with smoke and there were large halos around the moon.

Just as we were ready to leave Panaitan, we managed to wind one of our fishing lines around a prop. Yes I’m still doing that after all these years! This time it was resolved by removing the shaft anode underwater, which made it easy to clear the line. Happily no damage to the oil seal.

The fishing has been good on this trip, mostly when we’re far from other humans.  The lures have yielded yellowfin tuna, bonito, skipjack, a rainbow runner, a nice jobfish and a few mahi mahi.

So we departed the dreamy remote Panaitan for an overnight trip up to the island of Enggano.

There we found a very picturesque anchorage to rest up and do a bit of winging.

We went ashore to the tiny village where a family cooked dinner for us at their riverside shack.  A very authentic clam curry served with homemade sambal and with rice cooked in river water.  A gastro adventure for the crew.

Our host gave us a ride back to the beach on his motorbike with all of us on the flatbed sidecar.

We got dropped off at a derelict building where a thousand noisy bats were roosting, found our dinghy and zoomed out across the dark lagoon back to Escapade.

I had just finished stowing the provisions from our trip ashore when we were hailed from the darkness by a local boat and boarded by five uniformed officials.

Some combination of coastguard officers, the port captain, port police and harbour master, I think.  They wanted to know where we had been, where we were going, did we have any vodka, and could they have some?

Well no we don’t, but Bryan sensed that the situation might be diffused with some of his tequila supply.

While I was presenting my ship’s papers and passports to the most officious official, Bryan gave the others a quick induction to the art of drinking tequila shots.

My documents were found to be invalid and out of date.  I quietly maintained that all was in order, but we completely disagreed on the rules, and these guys were in uniform.  It seemed we would need to report to their office to sort out my papers.  I feared a long bureaucratic delay to our trip.  As a last resort I dialled the agent who had helped with my arrival into Indonesia, although this was long past his office hours.  Miraculously he picked up the phone (thank you!) and patiently explained to the officer that we were complying with all the rules of our cruising permit.  The call was hampered slightly by the increasingly raucous party in the cabin where Bryans’ new friends were starting to sway a bit.

The message got through.  Suddenly the call ended, the officer smiled, handed back my papers and all seemed to be well.  Group photos were taken, we ushered our guests happily back into their boat and off into the night with some beers for the road.

The next morning we left early and moved to a very remote spot at the other end of the island.  Nobody to bother us there, surrounded by nature, jungle, and waves.

I’m not sure when, but at some point the boys must have quietly agreed that the jet ski project was not happening. It hasn’t been mentioned since. I think I was saved by the wind. It’s just been so windy that the focus has been more on the wind sports. And Escapade has been sailing way too fast to tow anything.

The next day gave us wind and waves right next to the boat.

Now it was late September and we were joining the last few dots on the chart before we enter a whole new zone.

Our next port of call will be the southern-most tip of the Mentawai islands.

Photography: Bryan Metcalf-Perez, Jonathan Pooley, Kevin Pritchard and Z Schettewi